Culture Of Närke

Närke, is a

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

in Central

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

, which historically formed part of Svealand. The name of the province is partly derived from an old name for the people of the province, the ''Njarar'' (

Njars Njarar or Njars were an ancient Germanic people of Närke, Sweden, that appears in the Scandinavian version of the Lay of Weyland the smith. In the early part of the lay, King Níðuðr is introduced as a king in Sweden: Later he is specified a ...

) or ''Nerikjar'' (today ''Närkingar''). The root ''nari'', ''neri'' is cognate to English ''narrow'' and refers to the narrow inlets that characterized the geography, a tribe that is also mentioned in the lay of

Völund In Germanic mythology, Wayland the Smith ( ang, Wēland; , ; Old Frisian: Wela(n)du; german: Wieland der Schmied; goh, Wiolant; ''Galans'' (''Galant'') in Old French; gem-x-proto, Wēlandaz, italic=no from ', lit. "crafting one") is a master ...

( Weyland the Smith): :"When the Lord of the Njars, Nidud, heard :That Völund sat in Wolfdale alone, :He sent warriors forth: white their shield-bosses :In the waning moon, and their mail glittered." ::''- Translated by W. H. Auden and P. B. Taylor'' The next source for Närke appears in Heimskringla by

Snorri Sturluson Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of the ...

, where we learn that Nerike had a king named

Olof the Sharp-sighted Olov (or Olof) is a Swedish form of Olav/Olaf, meaning "ancestor's descendant". A common short form of the name is ''Olle''. The name may refer to: *Per-Olov Ahrén (1926–2004), Swedish clergyman, bishop of Lund from 1980 to 1992 *Per-Olov Bra ...

whose granddaughter married king Ingjald ill-ruler, the king of Sweden. King Ingjald kills King Sporsnjall of Nerike, proclaiming himself the ruler of all of

. When Ingjald is killed by Ivar Vidfamne, Ingjald's son

Olof Trätälja Olaf Tree Feller (Old Norse: ''Óláfr trételgja'', Swedish: ''Olof Trätälja'', Norwegian: ''Olav Tretelgja'', all meaning ''Olaf Woodwhittler'') was the son of the Swedish king Ingjald illråde, ruler of the House of Yngling in the 7th centur ...

settles in Närke with what remains of the

House of Yngling The Ynglings were a dynasty of kings, first in Sweden and later in Norway, primarily attested through the poem ''Ynglingatal''. The dynasty also appears as Scylfings (Old Norse ''Skilfingar'') in ''Beowulf''. When ''Beowulf'' and ''Ynglingatal'' ...

and their loyal men. They are later chased away and have to settle in the wasteland of Värmland which they colonize. A powerful man in Närke called Sigtryg received the Norwegian King

Olaf the Holy Olaf II Haraldsson ( – 29 July 1030), later known as Saint Olaf (and traditionally as St. Olave), was King of Norway from 1015 to 1028. Son of Harald Grenske, a petty king in Vestfold, Norway, he was posthumously given the title ''Rex Perpet ...

1028-1029 before Olaf's departure for

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

and its ruler

Yaroslav I the Wise Yaroslav the Wise or Yaroslav I Vladimirovich; russian: Ярослав Мудрый, ; uk, Ярослав Мудрий; non, Jarizleifr Valdamarsson; la, Iaroslaus Sapiens () was the Grand Prince of Kiev from 1019 until his death. He was als ...

: :"It is to be related of King Olaf's journey, that he went first from

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

eastward through Eid forest to Vermaland, then to Vatnsby, and through the forests in which there are roads, until he came out in Nerike district. There dwelt a rich and powerful man in that part called Sigtryg, who had a son, Ivar, who afterwards became a distinguished person. Olaf stayed with Sigtryg all spring (A.D. 1029); and when summer came he made ready for a journey, procured a ship for himself, and without stopping went on to Russia to King Jarisleif and his queen Ingegerd

According to local traditions Olaf baptized many locals and the well he used can be seen near Hallsberg in the parish of Hardemo. {{DEFAULTSORT:Culture of Narke Närke